“Since I have no use for you, I’m going to finish this up now. Don’t worry, it won’t be quick,” I tell him as I pat his cheek.
“You can’t kill Mr. Aubert,” he tells me as if it’s not known information.
“I’m well aware,” I say back. Whatever last play he’s attempting to make here, I want him to know it’s pointless.
“No,” he says with an awkward shake of his head. “You don’t understand. His protection is magical.”
I need more. I have to keep him talking.
Then I wonder if I’m actually falling for this shit. I already had a feeling about magic being the thing behind what’s keeping him alive, and I can’t imagine Paulie knows more than what he’s just told me.
But I try anyway.
“How do I—”
The words die on my tongue when the door at the top of the stairs bangs open. It’s so loud, Paulie flinches, and my blademight accidentally have found itself planted in the side of his gut.
“Fuck!” Paulie roars as I pull it back out and turn to face the commotion.
My heart stops at the sight of a limp Astra in Andre’s arms.
My knife clatters to the ground as I rush to take her from Andre as he reaches the bottom. She’s lifeless in my arms as I carry her over to the metal table in the corner of the room, and it feels like my heart is being ripped out of my chest. Though I hate to admit it, I don’t think that feeling has anything to do with the curse. Torrin is there, folding up my discarded suit jacket to use as a pillow as I carefully set her down on the cold, hard table. I don’t want to think about how much blood has decorated its surface in its lifetime. I’m thankful Rove is a neat freak, so I know the table is clean enough to eat off of right now.
“Astra,” I whisper as I brush the hair away from her face. She’s pale. I can see the inky lines spreading out over her skin, and it only takes me a second to realize I have matching lines running down my arm. How did I miss this? When did they start coming back?
Her skin is cold. I don’t care who’s watching right now, I lean down and kiss her forehead. Her cheeks. Then, finally, I press my mouth against hers.
How is it I feel fine and she’s like this?
How come she won’t wake up?
Is this from the curse, or did something happen? I will kill that Sandra witch if I have to. Fuck the rules. Fuck the covens. No one hurts my…
Fuck.
Yeah, fine.
No one hurts my woman.
My Beauty.
TWENTY-FIVE
Donovan
“The fuck?!” I roar. “What the hell happened?”
“I don’t know, Boss. I tried to call, but your phone went to voicemail.” Not surprising in this fucking box. “She was talking to thatwitch.”
I don’t miss the way he spits out the word. Andre doesn’t have a thing against witches as a whole, so the only thing I can assume is that there is something about Sandra he doesn’t like.
“They were having an intense conversation, but nothing I felt the need to worry over,” Andre goes on. “Then Astra started to look pale. By the time I got to her, she was passing out. She came around some, but that witch said I need to get her to you.”
The door bangs open again, and I turn to see Fabien stumbling his way down the stairs in a hurry, his eyes on each step he takes as if he’s making sure he doesn’t trip and go tumbling all the way to the bottom.
“I locked the car and grabbed the fob you left in the…” Fabien’s eyes grow wide when he reaches the last step and looks up, instantly seeing a dangling Paulie all beaten and bloody. “Oh, shit.”
“I got him,” Andre says as he rushes over to a green-looking Fabien.
